I Live to See You
by haihaz
Summary: AU SoMa! Maka gets called in for a job as a nurse at The Springs Institution: a place for patients with serious needs. As a nurse, she obviously needs a patient, and who could better fill that role than Soul? But wait... if Soul's a patient at The Springs... what's wrong with him? Rated T, may change later. 'A review given, is a shout-out earned.'
1. Chapter 1

**Hmm, Soul Eater fic? I think yes! SoMa fic? DUH! This is my first Soul Eater fic, and yes, it is SoMa. (otp,otp,otp) This is kind of a prologue-type chapter to introduce you to what's basically going on. I know it's short, and I'm sorry, but if y'all would like to see where this is going, I've got some ideas. This story is very AU, just so you know… and everyone's a tad older. **

**I don't know what to rate this yet. I'll keep it at T for now… but, it may change. Later on. Once I have fully figured out where I'm going with this. **

**Disclaimer: I'm gonna say it here and now: I don't own Soul Eater. If I did, I'd be rich enough to have Morgan Freeman read me bedtime stories. Unfortunately, I'm not that rich. **

* * *

Low heels clicking down the tile floors of the seemingly endless array of hallways, student Maka Albarn hurriedly made her way to the campus office as she had only minutes ago been called down over intercom in the middle of a lengthy lecture…this surely must be important.

Reaching her destination on good time considering the expanse of building she traveled through, Maka politely tapped on the door three times before entering quietly as not to disturb anyone who might be working. Upon closing the door gently behind her, the Director of Student Services, Mr DeAnda, found that she had arrived and in greeting said, "Miss Albarn! Thank you for taking the time to come down. Please, take a seat."

Smiling gratefully, Maka sat in front of Mr DeAnda's desk as he pulled a short stack of papers and envelopes from one of his drawers. Shuffling through them, he selected a paper folded into thirds and opened it, placing it in front of him and folding his hands in a gesture that could represent a man of great thinking.

"Miss Albarn, knowing that you are a third year medical student here, -and top of your class, may I add my congratulations- I could think of no other student to turn to when I received a letter from The Springs Institution requesting help as an overload of patients have been seeping in these last few weeks. Thus knowing that you are leaning towards patient care in your studies only made me sure that I was in the right to ask if you would consider being of help to The Springs."

A bit confused as this heap of information was placed on her shoulders in the time lapse of about 3 minutes, Maka straightened in her seat and said, "First I'd like to thank you for choosing me over every other student here to summon for help, but secondly I'd like to know, what is 'The Springs Institution', specifically? I am interested in helping though, since you mentioned something about patient care."

Nodding, Mr DeAnda pulled out an envelope regarding everything to know about The Springs and handed it to Maka whilst saying, "The Springs is a medical Institution for patients of special needs; as in depression, prolonged anxiety, and in some cases muteness and things similar to that. I am aware that it is located in Colorado Springs, but despite the distance I ask that you consider traveling to help. Flights would be paid for as would an apartment close to the place itself. That envelope contains phone numbers for any questions, and photos of the grounds and such. I know it's a bit much to ask, especially since term just began, but I have faith that you will be able to manage such a task."

Looking at her shoes as if they held the answers she needed at that moment, Maka thought for a short while before looking level with her administrator and announced, "I'll do it. Besides, it will give me hands on experience for the future."

"Splendid!" The now happy man exclaimed, "The Springs would appreciate all helpers to arrive next Sunday for orientation, so I've made a point to get your flight to leave on Friday assuming that you'll want to settle in and get a feel for the town. It's one of the most beautiful places to reside, but I do suggest bringing warmer clothes even though autumn has not yet arrived. You'll be staying right at the foot of the Rocky Mountains."

An eager smile gracing her features, Maka stood from her seat and expressed her thanks before retreating from the office. Mr DeAnda had required that she come in again on Thursday to make sure she was ready and to be given any last minute information. Until then, she didn't need to attend any further classes; so she scrambled to the parking lot in a state of excitement and hopped into her white Kia Rio, immediately calling her best friend.

"Hello?"

"Tsubaki! Guess what just happened!" She nearly squealed, already picturing life at her new job across the country, mesmerized at the thought.

"What is it, Maka? Oh please tell me! You sound excited!" Her friend giggled; Maka could tell by the tone of her voice that a breezy smile was plastered onto her face.

"I got a job! Like, not a waitress or anything! A real legitimate job as a nurse!"

"Oh congratulations, Maka! I'm so proud of you! It's not everyday a 21 year old gets a real job. Tell me, where are you going to be working? Is it local?"

Calming down at the realization that although she had a near-dream job, she would have to suffer with living hundreds of miles away from her best friend since, well, forever. Miami wasn't exactly the closest place in the world to Colorado Springs, after all. "It's not exactly local," she finally managed to say; then added, "But we'll talk about it later. Do you want to go somewhere for dinner so we can discuss it?"

Catching the slightly different tone to Maka's voice, Tsubaki transferred to motherly mode and told her, "Of course. I'll talk to you tonight then; and again, congratulations!"

Smiling softly once more, she murmured, "Thanks, Tsubaki." And afterwards hung up the phone and set it aside on the passenger seat of her car. Running a hand through her hair in confusion, Maka leaned back in her seat and took a quiet moment to think about her current situation:

_1._ She was moving more than halfway across the country for a job where she didn't know anyone. _2._ If she didn't like it, she couldn't back down. She'd given her approval and was now stuck with that decision. _3. _Was she even ready for this? _4. _She wasn't so sure.

Sighing and shrugging her arms as she thought, _what's done is done_; she slipped on her seatbelt and made way to her apartment that she'd need to start packing up… it was Monday and she was leaving on Friday. She only had a few days to pack, buy whatever she needed, research and call The Springs, and tell her best friend goodbye before she left.

It was going to be one heck of a week, Maka finally determined.

* * *

**Has your interest been piqued at all? Have you fallen asleep at the keyboard? If you were diligent, did you find any grammatical errors? This is going to be a dull chapter-thing obviously, this is just the beginning. It shall get better, I declare! **

**Reviews make my writing world go round, but since I'm nothing but an amateur, please, no flames! I'd love to know what you thought, though. **

**Also, I do shoutouts to my reviewers in the beginning of my chapters. That's just the kind of girl I am. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Good evening, good morning, good afternoon. Whatever applies to you, I hope you're doing well! It's almost two in the morning here, but I figured it's never a bad time to update a story, right?**

**Now, I'd like to thank everyone for the reviews and faves! I honestly didn't expect what I was blessed with, so THANK YOU! I love you all! And now, as promised to my reviewers as of right now, here are some shoutouts:**

**: tysm! Ugh, this is mainly a 'get to know what's up' chapter too, but I promise, next chapter is when the basics are over and the story really begins!**

**emilykim1504: thaaaank you! This story will definitely be continued!**

**TwilightEternal412: oh STAHP IT! You're so sweet, thank you!**

**Indythewolf: you should write a SoMa story! I would certainly LOVE to read it, I really do hope you post one! And thank you asdfghjkl**

**JellyRain: I am sure considering it! The rating will most likely change sometime in a later chapter, so I'll wait a tad longer until I try to take on the M category!**

**Israelle ParadiseIsis Hypnosis: wait no longer! Here's the next chapter (:**

**Kaoru97: I am SO glad you enjoyed my writing style! Thank you for the review not only on this, but on my other-fandom fic as well! (it means so very much) I am now going to have to go through your gallery of stories, and might I say I'm looking forward to reading them!**

***here's a shout to everyone who faved and followed, as well. I love you***

**Now for this chapter, it's pretty straight forward and faced paced. I'm ready to get into the actual plot next chapter, and since it's early in the morning I didn't look over this for mistakes so I apologise for any!**

**Disclaimer: Soul Eater ain't mine, bro. But the plot... Yeah. That's mine.**

* * *

Leaning back in the not-so-comfortable window seat during her flight, Maka smiled to herself and inaudibly hummed to the music that was silently reverberating through the headphones she'd been wearing the past hour.

The week had gone by well, she thought; replaying every detail in her head. Tsubaki handled the situation with more excitement than sadness as she repeatedly told Maka 'oh, you're going to have to send me lots of pictures! Did you know they get snow over there in the winter? I'm going to have to come visit you!' All the while bouncing with glee as her friend told her about her new responsibilities that lay ahead of her.

Maka had also called The Springs - discovering a great staff, good pay, a well amount of freedom, but tight hours Monday to Saturday. She wouldn't be required to work on Sunday, which she thought would give her a substantial amount of time for shopping, sleeping in, hiking… whatever she felt like.

When she included the fact that her flight and apartment expenses were already taken care of, Maka couldn't be happier… except for the fact that an annoying ass dude got the seat directly to the side of her. _Well, at least I got the window seat._

* * *

After the approximately 3 hour not-so-classy flight and the hour-long drive to actually get to Colorado Springs from the airport, (she'd had to land in Denver) Maka struggled with her luggage as she hauled it up the side stairs to her small apartment. It was dark outside, and much colder than she'd originally thought it'd be in the beginning of September, yet she had managed to unload her things and pay the friendly cab driver her fares. Wanting nothing more than to take a hot shower and sleep, she saved the unpacking business for tomorrow along with everything else she had to do.

* * *

"Hmmm.." Maka wondered aloud, thoughtfully observing the heating unit to her flat that was built into the wall. "Now, how do I turn this on- AHH!" She jumped backwards, yelping as her hand was almost scorched by the small flame that erupted from the bottom of the contraption. All she'd done was pull the lever! It was just a flicker though, she later discovered after reading up online about those things. She'd never had anything like it in Miami – it simply wasn't necessary.

It took her practically all day, but she was finally unpacked and warm. The only thing left to do was see what time she had to be at The Springs for orientation the following day.

So picking up her near-dead cell phone, she gave a quick ring to the service desk, earning an almost immediate pick up:

"Hello! This is Liz Thompson at The Springs, how may I be of assistance?"

"Hello, Miss Thompson. I'm Maka Albarn and I'll be coming in for orientation tomorrow. I just wanted to confirm a time, and I'd also like to know if I should be bringing anything with me?"

"Ah, yes. Orientation is at 10 o'clock a.m., and you needn't bring anything; schedules will be handed out with everything you'll need to know including what patient you'll be attending to and their special needs."

"Very well, thank you!"

Hanging up the device, she nearly tripped over her coffee table trying to get to her charger before the phone died. Once plugged in, she sauntered over to her small yet lavish kitchen to prepare a quick meal before bed.

While munching on her sandwich, Maka's mind drifted toward the patients at The Springs. _Depression, prolonged anxiety, muteness…_the words Mr DeAnda spoke to her not even a week ago rung loud in her ears as she considered every possible thing that could be manifesting the souls of the teenagers that were held there. Being a newbie would she get an easier case to look after? Or would being the top of her class start her off with someone a bit more difficult?

Only time would tell. And speaking of time, Maka loaded her dishes into the dishwasher and crawled into bed at almost midnight; looking forward to meeting the hopefully happy person she'd soon be able to call her first patient.

* * *

"Welcome! And I thank you for generously giving us, The Springs Institute, your much valued time. I've never been much of a person for formalities, so please, call me Kid. I am your 'boss' per say, but you will each have a personal trainer to get you acquainted with the building and scheduling today. Now remember, you start tomorrow, officially! So listen carefully to your helper; be attentive and ask any questions you may have. I do hope you will then join us all for dinner tonight, as we have much to discuss!"

Short speech coming to a close, Maka took in her surroundings, realizing what an enormous project this was. There were 3 separate buildings, each 2 stories high, and the grounds were immaculate; one could almost say they were completely symmetrical. Though hoping to find her trainer soon and henceforth deciding she'd try to make time to scroll through the gardens later, she stood up straighter and walked a bit faster towards the entrance to the centre building where a few dozen people were holding up signs with the newcomers names written across them. Locating the yellow paper with her named neatly scribbled across, she successfully made her way to the lady with the short blonde hair without tripping in her new heels.

Smiling at the girl that couldn't be much older than herself, Maka held out her hand and politely said, "Hi, I'm Maka Albarn."

Beaming, the young lady accepted her hand and bubbly announced, "My name's Pattie, and I'll be your trainer today! I hope you're ready Maka, there's a lot to learn and not much time to do it! And by the way, it's great to finally meet you. I hear you're top of your class, am I right?"

"Yes, currently I'm top of my class."

"Well good for you!" Pattie near-shouted in a joyful manner, making Maka wonder if she was always this loud. Continuing, she toned down and spoke in a serious manner when she went on to say, "You're going to need some memorization skills for this position. And you specifically will need patience. I thought a girl as smart as you could handle that; you do have quite a patient to keep up with, after all."

Eyes glittering at the thought of who that person would be, Maka grinned and asked her supervisor as they began strolling through the front doors of the building, "Do I get to meet them today? Would you tell me about them?"

Laughing lightly, Pattie told her, "If we have time you can certainly meet _him,_but if not I will surely have told you what you need to know about him anyway. But we're getting of track! I've got to show you around first, so let's start here!" Throwing her hands up above her head, Pattie animatedly described everything that went on in the main building. In a nutshell: this was where patients were checked in and out, this is where any visitations were held, and the top floor was the storage area of all the paper work that needed to be kept and filed. "On Saturdays, you'll work short hours. All you'll need to do is come in here and file your patient's paper work for the week. If there's ever a conflict with times or scheduling, you'll come to one of the receptionists who work in here. Now!" She clapped her hands, "To building two!"

Building two as Pattie called it, was located to the right of the main building. According to the bouncy nurse, this would surely be her favorite place here.

Entering the already-open doors, Maka quickly determined for herself that this was a building for the nurses: there were lounge chairs and couches paired with coffee brewers and television sets placed in a symmetrical fashion all along the tile floors. "Here is where you can come on your break time. There of course is the cafeteria - and I promise you it's better than 'normal' cafeteria food! - and it's also just a place to relax and have a cup of coffee or whatever. Plus, the best cell phone connection is in this building, so if you ever want to make a call here's where you'd come." Leaning down to whisper closer to her apprentices ear, Pattie hushed, "Upstairs, though, is the place for the really _crazy _cases. Only the specialty doctors can give you the permission to go up there, so it's best if you don't."

Nodding in quaint understanding, Maka then changed the subject and questioned, "Is there a separate cafeteria for the patients?"

"Oh yes," Pattie explained, "It's very small though, so it was able to fit on the bottom floor of building three - that's where the rest of the patients are located. It's so small because most of the people just decide they want to eat in their rooms instead of trying to socialize with everyone else, or they'd rather eat out back in the gardens. They're allowed outside the building only under their nurses watch at anytime of day they please. Some like staying outside all day, while others prefer the indoors. Your patient might I add, prefers staying indoors."

Adding another piece of information to her so far minuscule mental list of things about whoever he was, Maka asked once more, "Do you think there'll be time to meet him today?"

"Be patient!" Pattie ordered while giggling, causing Maka to raise her hands up in a defensive way as to say 'I'm sorry, I will.'

"You'll meet him soon enough. Anyway, let's walk over the the last building so I can at least show you where his room is before we depart for the dinner Kid invited us to."

Pace quickening as the sky grew ever-so-slightly darker, Maka followed her instructor inside the building where she immediately found it lacking a good central heater. "It's cold in here!" She stated aloud, hoping someone would hear her and turn up the heat for the poor people who stayed here.

"It's only cold because it's healthier. Bacteria grows in warmer places, so it's required that we keep it cold to prevent anything unnecessary happening. But let's see," Scanning the expanse of hallway visible to the pair, Pattie led them to a countertop on the right and explained, "Every morning when you come in, you'll pick up the medicine your patient will need. All you have to do is give the lady the name of the boy, and she'll give you what you're looking for. Next," Walking in the opposite direction towards the elevators, "You take the lift to the second floor." So, that's what they did.

Once arriving, Pattie took her to another countertop this time on the left side of them. "Here's where you'll pick up their breakfast. Again, give the person behind the counter the name and they'll give you what he needs. Got it so far?" Medicine, breakfast. Easy. "Yup. Then what?"

Pointing towards the very end of the long, bright white hallway, Pattie simply stated, "You take the stuff to him - he's in room 203. Make sure he takes his medicine first, then he can eat. Up until lunch time, you've got to do a basic round of checkups. You know, blood pressure and temperature. Write down the results and then figure out whatever you can do to keep him occupied until lunch... Just don't let him fall asleep. You can take him outside of he wants, you can take him to the cafeteria -before and after lunch there's a wide variety of activities available there, but they differ each day so you'll never know what you're gonna end up with- but in reality, your guy could have you sit and read to him for hours, honestly. He loves books. He also adores music, so if you ever get stuck, bring him to the main building in the visitors center. There's a piano in there he could play."

Perking up at the sound of getting to read for hours, Maka smiled as she mentally scanned through the books she had that she could possibly bring tomorrow to start out with. The piano was interesting as well though, she'd never learned to play an instrument as a child and she always found it fascinating to watch a musicians fingers glide across the ivory as if it were the skin of a lover.

The rest of the events for her day would be in tune with everything else: bring him medicine after all meals then keep him occupied until the next meal. Always keep a diligent record of the basics that surrounded his health: strong heart beat, good breathing patterns, temperatures, and so forth. All in all, it wasn't near as difficult as she expected. And of course, the obvious question came back around to haunt her, so she tried one last time with extra plea in her voice, "Pattie, may I please meet him today?" Smiling and clasping her hands together, she silently begged for a chance to come eye to eye with the mystery boy.

Placing a hand on the shorter girl's shoulder, Pattie reluctantly murmured, "We don't have time. We must be making our way down for dinner now, the restaurant is across town and we don't want to be late." Noting how the girl with the green eyes and pigtails lowered her head in defeat, she sympathized with her and decided, "Although we have to go, I'll answer any simple questions you have about him while we make our way down."

Eyes regaining their natural shimmer, Maka grinned gratefully, saying, "Okay, I have just three questions. 1. How old is he? 2. Who is he? 3. What's his condition?"

"He's 19 years old and his name is Soul Evans." Turning to face the visibly excited girl, Pattie once again placed a hand on Maka's shoulder and waited until their eyes met to say, "And since you want to know what's wrong with him, I'll tell you. It may not be what you're expecting though."

Brushing off the seriousness as nothing, Maka asked Pattie to just tell her because she _needed to know now._

So, that's just what Pattie did. "You see, Maka. Soul is blind."

* * *

**Dun dun dunn. Soul actually factually appears in the next chapter for those Soul-addicts like myself. Heads up.**

**Annnd also, because I honestly don't know. Is it spelled 'Kid' or 'Kidd'? I've seen it both ways. And is it 'Pattie' or 'Patty'? Again, it's confusing me! I guess either way is okay.**

**Review = Shoutout for you, endless joy for me. It's a win-win situation from my POV.**


	3. Chapter 3

**SHOUTOUTS AT THE END OF THE CHAPTER, as promised.**

**Hai guys. I could've done better, I know. Not so ecstatic about this chapter but I wanted to get it in since editing and altering the thing would take too long and I hate to keep people waiting. Anywho, I hope y'all had an AWESOME Christmas!**

**This chapter has switched point of views, so the name in bold and caps is whose mindset you'll be in.**

**Disclaimer: Do I even have to say it**

* * *

**MAKA**

_Maka was sitting on a leather recliner in the corner of a large room. This particular room only consisted of said chair and a couch; near the corner opposite of her._

_She was the only person there. But untold reasons led her to believe she wasn't exactly alone. Gazing towards the couch, she wondered how it would differ from where she was currently seated. Curious, she stood up and stalked over to it; senses growing increasingly uneasy with each passing step. She was about halfway across the room when **bam**__, she ran smack into something._

_Taking two steps back, Maka looked quizzically in front of her. There wasn't anything there that she could've run into... Unless..._

_Reaching out her hands, Maka cautiously inched forward until she was stopped by an unknown force. It was as if her palms were leaning against an invisible wall that prevented her from getting to the couch. Furrowing her brows in concentration, Maka followed the invisible border with the guidance of her fingers, soon finding that the barrier split the room directly down the middle._

_With a bit of annoyance, she pulled her hands off the 'wall' and sat back on the recliner. Observing the couch silently, Maka began to doze off, falling in and out of consciousness when she heard a strained voice from the far side of the room. It was an almost inaudible mumble, but what it said rang clear through her ears: "beautiful..."_

Shooting out of bed with a gasp and a near-choke, Maka took in a lungful of air as she attempted to regain a normal breathing pattern. Her hair clung to her forehead in a mass of sweat, as did her thin clothes to her body. Her blanket was tangled around her torso and feet as if she'd been tossing and turning violently while asleep; and she didn't doubt it, either. She remembered clearly her dream; the only thing she couldn't explain, though, was why it offset her so much. It wasn't a necessarily scary vision, it was just... Eerie.

* * *

**SOUL**

Heaving for the air that lay still around him, Soul was pulled into the harsh reality of darkness as he sat up in the uncomfortable bed provided by the Institution. The transition from the dream state to waking up was never easy on him; for, in his dreams, Soul was prepared to swear he could see. He was never prepared though, to be pulled out of the light and beautiful sights so abruptly only to be swallowed by a darkness so intense and thick that even a lightsaber couldn't penetrate.

Rubbing his betraying eyes with the base of his clammy hands, Soul did everything he could to recompose his latest dream, but to no avail. The only thing he remembered clearly about the dream was a distinct beauty that he couldn't describe even if he could see and it was placed directly in front of him.

Giving up quickly as he had become accustomed to doing so throughout his life, Soul decided he'd try to catch a few more z's before he officially had to get up in the morning. He didn't know what time it was, but since no nurse had come to wake him up yet, he figured it was safe to lean back into his pillows and pull his blanket over the top of his head in a failed attempt to make sleep - which in his mind, meant sight - come faster.

* * *

**MAKA**

_Hey, I just met you, and this is crazy! But here's my number, so call me –_

"NO." Maka growled as she slapped her radio-set alarm clock off; signaling the end of having time to herself and the beginning of having to get up and interact with people. Not that she could really complain, she had been eagerly awaiting the moment she'd finally get to meet Soul; the unseeing person of whom she'd be now spending most of her time with.

Slinking out of her bed, Maka took the quickest shower she could, then wrapped herself in an overly fluffy towel and padded over to her closet. Swinging the door open, she chose to keep her outfit simple – a white quarter sleeve button up blouse, and a pair of washed out skinny jeans that bunched at the bottom nicely to welcome her favorite white Toms. Pulling her hair into her signature pigtails, she graced over to the mirror to apply a thin layer of powder and a touch of mascara before stepping back to take in her whole aura.

She wasn't the tallest of girls, nor was she the most developed. Growing up, she didn't see any problem with how she looked or why it mattered, but on numerous occasions Maka was simply overlooked because of her outward appearance. Turning this way and that, trying to see herself from every angle, Maka huffed and convinced herself that someone would eventually see past her looks; (her temper at times, as well) and to her heart.

Eyes glued to the mirror, she tucked in her shirt this way but thought _that doesn't look right_, she tried again but thought _the other way looked better…_ and soon she was taking part in a hands on battle with the drape of her blouse that just _wouldn't _cooperate. That is, until her phone alarm went off that she set just in case, as if to say '_**if you don't leave the flat now you're going to be late, so get your butt moving.**_'

Practically flying through the apartment, Maka managed to grab her purse, a bag she had pre-stocked with books, and keys before running to her car and racing to The Springs. Being late on your first day is never the example you want to set…

Arriving just at the nick of time, Maka visibly relaxed as she stepped out of her Kia and into the third building where she'd at last get to meet Soul.

* * *

**SOUL**

"Soul wake up, your nurse will be here any minute and this is not what you want her to expect of you after meeting just once." Groaning and rolling over in his bed, the light of his dreams that Soul nearly fed off of to live began to fade away as he was woken up by the temporary assistant. He wouldn't have to deal with the annoying mess of gossip and fake friendliness after today though… unless of course that's what his new nurse would be like.

He hadn't heard much about her, except that she was in fact a female, and that her name was Maka Albarn. Supposedly she was 21 and was given a position here to better prepare her for real-hospital shit. The thing he liked most about what he heard though, was that she loved to read.

Being blind, Soul was handicapped to a lot of things; including easy reading… unless he wanted to get a Braille book, but no one could understand how much he loathed those things. So, on rare occasions when someone would have the heart to sit and read a tale to him for hours, well, he didn't know how to describe it. To him, books were other-worldly universes within themselves, and that by reading them he could in fact live in that world for the few short hours that the story lasted.

But he wouldn't ever admit this to anyone. Soul's love for books was closeted, replaced by his 'love' for music.

Sure, he loved to play the piano. But he _never_ managed to live up to his foster parents' expectations; therefore, he'd only play if he wasn't being judged.

"Ow, hey!" Soul jumped, being pulled from his thoughts after having something thrown at him. "Just get changed in order to look presentable, Soul. Go on, get to it." Ordered the laundry woman who always made a point to throw the clothing at the patients. He didn't know why, none of them did, but they didn't necessarily care either.

Scowling nonetheless, he changed into the t-shirt and shorts that fit just a bit too snug before settling back on his bed; half-heartedly considering jumping out the window and leaving this place for good – until he heard it.

A voice. He hadn't heard it before; but it seemed oddly familiar in a sense. It sounded right outside his door, and before he could dwell on it, there was another person in his room. And for some strange reason he didn't want them to leave.

* * *

**MAKA**

After grabbing Soul's medicine and breakfast as Patty had instructed the day before, Maka did what she could to find Soul's room as quickly as possible. She wasn't good at introductions, and she was hoping to get that part over with soon. Anyway, she'd be having to spend all day with him; might as well attempt a friendship.

After locating room 203, Maka was met outside by a girl who held a temporary position as a helper at the Institution. The girl wasn't very specific, but she gave Maka enough heads up to know what not to do when first meeting Soul:

_1. _Don't rush in and start talking. Keep your voice to a minimum until he's completely aware you're there. You may startle him. _2._ He's going to have questions and he may have odd requests… just go with them.

Nodding and expressing her thanks, Maka timidly entered the bland room marked 203.

Letting the door close quietly behind her, she tried to take a look at her surroundings, but honestly couldn't because of the boy seated on the bed in front of her. He had white hair that was messily spiked to the side and skin slightly tanner than hers. A bit of muscle could be seen through the thin cotton layer of his dark grey t-shirt, and by the looks of how he was positioned, he was _tall_. Eyes ravaging his body, Maka blushed and shook her head attempting to keep her voice even when speaking, "Hello." There. Short, sweet and to the point.

* * *

**SOUL**

Lazy smile forming at his lips at the delicate sound of her voice, Soul opened his eyes tiredly; the simple motion acting in time with an audible gasp that was lost at the walls enclosing the two. Panic mode preparing to be set in, Soul sat up straight and hurriedly spoke, "Is something wrong?"

"No!" The girl exclaimed a bit too fast, taking a few moments to rethink her words before admitting, "I mean, nothing's wrong. Just, your eyes. I've never seen a more brilliant shade of red on _anything_."

"Oh," he murmured, sinking back into his previous position, "Sorry for startling you then, I guess. But anyway, uhm, I'm Soul." Blindly reaching out a hand in her general direction, Maka had to take some steps forward to accept the shake and to reply, "Maka. I'll be your nurse, but I bet they've already told you that."

Enjoying her somewhat timid nature, Soul allowed himself a real smile when he replied, "They told me something like that."

Smiling although Soul couldn't see it, Maka dramatically let out a sigh of relief as she told him, "Well good! I didn't want to be like some random girl coming in to your room wasting your time. But anyway," She stopped short, fumbling over her words because she spoke too fast out of nerves, "Now's about the time you're supposed to take your medicine, right? I've got it here for you."

Nodding, he accepted the few pills Maka handed to him, and after having took them, he beckoned her to take a seat on the bedside chair to try to allow her as much comfort as his room would allow. Once he was sure she was alright, he asked, "Do you think you could tell me if I'm not looking directly at you? Not trying to be weird, but some people get freaked out if I'm not looking straight at them or whatever. I think I'm okay at it, though."

"You're fine, Soul. No need to worry about that anyway, I don't mind."

"I'm glad. But, hey, So far this has been pretty one-sided. You get to see me, but I don't get to see you. If it's not too weird for you, do you think you could out my hands on your face? It's uh, how I get to know people I guess…" He trailed off timidly, wondering why he'd even asked that question – he figured he should've jumped out the window when he had the chance. So not cool.

* * *

**MAKA**

Trying to settle her blush from the request, Maka replied in the affirmative and took a hold of Soul's piano-worn hands with her own smaller ones. When their hands made contact, Soul flinched at the unknown but not unwelcome feeling as Maka led his them to her cheeks.

She watched Soul as his hands ran delicately over the contours of her face, wondering what he might be thinking. He had shut his eyes and had a look of concentration etched across his features as he diligently managed to engrave what he could 'see' of her in his mind.

At Maka's wonder, he gently pulled his hands back and made one single comment on how he pictured her that no one had ever told her before, "You're dazzling."

* * *

**Shoutouts, which I love doing:**

**Israelle ParadiseIsis Hypnosis****: Chapter 3, here! Glad you found it interesting(:**

**Raq90: Thank you so much! It makes me so happy that you consider this a good SoMa fic**

**JellyRain: Thank you, and I know exactly what you mean! I've got a mini dachshund puppy and I'm constantly tripping over her! I feel so terrible**

**Kaoru97: I hope it's no crime to love Soul, cause if it is, I'm guilty as charged! Yes, of course! I'm actually reading a few of yours at the moment (you should see all the open tabs on my iPhone… all your fics)**

**hotakugirl1996: tysm, continued!**

**oxo bunnies: I've never seen Silence of the Land, I'll have to watch it now! Here's another chapter for you to read!**

**Superpixie11: Thank ya girll!(;**

**Aqua Cahill: Thank you! Updated(:**

**emilykim1504: Thank you! I changed it to 'Patty' but watch me change it back later. Of course, and AH I had to! Soul is most definitely a closeted bookworm, I just know it.**

**Hope I got everyone and I hope I spelled your usernames right! Probably a disappointing update but yanno. Nothing I can do now. **

**Review for Shoutout, yo. **


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